'Unmoved' Gerardo Martino calls Messi's goal drought 'coincidence'

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has insisted that Lionel Messi's goal drought is a coincidence after the Argentine failed to net for the fourth consecutive league game in the club's 1-0 win over Espanyol recently.

According to China Daily, it is the first time since April 2011 that Messi has gone four games without scoring in La Liga and he appeared on the fringes of the game throughout as Barca struggled to breakdown its city rival at Camp Nou.

Despite the victory that moved Barca, temporarily at least, four points clear of Atletico Madrid and nine ahead of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, Messi cut a forlorn figure at the end of the match, the report said.

However, in between his goal drought in domestic competition, Messi did net in Barca's 1-1 draw away to Milan in the Champions League and Martino used that goal as his evidence that there is no problem with the four-time World Player of the Year, the report added.

Martino said that he did not think Messi was worried and it was just a coincidence, and it is rare for a player to score at least a goal in every game of half a season, as the player did last season.